 
“Our Fifth Ministerial Conference in Cancún will take place in less
than one year, and we have much to do between now and then. We all
know that we must make rapid substantive progress in all areas of the
Doha Development Agenda if we are to have a successful conference. I
am confident that we can do this, and I intend to take an active part
in this collective undertaking.
“This
conference is set to act as a mid-term review. This means that by then
we will need a clear picture of what is achievable across the
negotiating agenda. Only on that basis will ministers be able to
provide the necessary additional political guidance in order to
conclude the DDA Work Programme successfully by the
1 January 2005 deadline.
“From
the reports given today by the chairpersons heading our negotiating
groups, and from the discussions which followed those reports it is
clear we have made a reasonably good start, but much remains to be
done and time is running quickly.
“I
am concerned that the positions of some delegations have not been
sufficiently clarified. This meeting of the TNC marks the start of a
new phase of the negotiations — the phase of substantive engagement.
Only by accelerating our work, where necessary producing and
discussing concrete proposals, can we make real progress across the
board. Our work needs to be directed not only towards meeting
individual key deadlines, but also towards building a sense of the
negotiations as a whole.
“December
represents a set of important deadlines concerning matters related to
implementation, special and differential treatment for developing
countries and a solution to the problem of supplying pharmaceuticals
in those countries which lack sufficient manufacturing capacity. These
issues are of great importance to developing countries. We need to
continue moving on these issues, so that they become part of our
forward process, not an obstacle to it.
“I
would also like to underline the importance of the deadlines in the
period from March to May 2003. During this period we will face
deadlines in the negotiations on Agriculture, Services,
Non-agricultural Market Access and Dispute Settlement. Many of us
believe that what happens then will define the rest of our process. We
will face an uphill battle at Cancún if we do not grapple
successfully with these intermediate deadlines.
“It
is important we meet all of these deadlines. But a deadline is not an
end in itself. Deadlines are important because they allow us to
measure how we are advancing. And we all know we must advance the
substance of the negotiations progressively across all areas of the
negotiating agenda as a whole.
“You
should expect the TNC to be more active. In line with this, I will be
an activist as TNC Chairman — working closely with the Chairpersons
to support and help them where I think it may be useful. I will also
be active in consulting with delegations as we prepare for the
important issues on the table in December.
“A
successful outcome for the Doha Development Agenda is essential for
the future of our societies. A larger degree of openness and
predictability in international relations can only come about if we
have the same set of rules and if we set our sights on similar
objectives. That is precisely what this Organization can offer.
“The
Doha Development Agenda was launched in a world economic situation
which was widely regarded as being weak. It has not improved since
then, and the outlook is uncertain in many ways. This is why it is
even more important to deliver on this Round. The future prospects of
many, many people depend on it.”
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